Is Homophobia a Mental Illness?

[Brian2]

Yeah, and in Denmark the head of the Conservative party is openly gay and has been married to a man.
So that is politics and I don't do that kind of politics.

We have openly gay politicians in Australia and the woman Prime Minister was gay and with a woman partner while in power. She was a good Prime Minister.

 

[Brian2]

Strongly agree. Unfortunately, in English, the suffix "-phile" has the meaning of "enjoyer" or "liker" or "lover" of something -- like bibliophile, oenophile, zoophile (loves books, wine or animals). The "antonym" of that should not mean "fear" but "dislike." Unfortunately, that antonymic suffice "-phobe" really does mean "fear." Think of the 2 moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos -- Greek for fear and terror.

This is more a language problem than a psychological disorder. The vast majority of the people that we would call "homophobes" today are just people who really don't like gay people. But that's not what the word really means.

The problem is, there really don't seem to be antonyms for words like bibliophile, oenophile or zoophile. We would usually resort to phrases such as book hater or wine hater, etc. And we should probably do the same in this case, and just say what people really are: not gay fearers but gay haters. Different kettle of fish.

Then "gay haters" would be used of people who do not hate gays.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Then "gay haters" would be used of people who do not hate gays.

????

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Then "gay haters" would be used of people who do not hate gays.

?????

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

?????

There are no gay haters, because gays are wrong. And the gay haters are really only pointing out that gays are wrong and that is not hating.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

There are no gay haters, because gays are wrong. And the gay haters are really only pointing out that gays are wrong and that is not hating.

What on earth does it mean to be "wrong?" If the average height of human males is 5'9", is the 7''2 basketball player or the 3'6" dwarf "wrong?" Or just unusual?

When you can choose -- and I mean really choose, for a lifetime -- to change the gender that you find attractive sexually, then you come back to me. Until then, having just emptied my ignore list, you've just earned your way back on. The only one.

 

[Wildswanderer]

... or just a misnomer.

Phobia are defined as "a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation. It is a type of anxiety disorder. A person with a phobia either tries to avoid the thing that triggers the fear, or endures it with great anxiety and distress" - Phobia - Harvard Health

If you are homophobic, do you really feel excessive fear in the presence of gays?

If it is a mental illness, homophobes aren't responsible for their irrational actions and we shouldn't condemn them but try to help them. Desensitization is the usual method to treat phobia.

What do you think?

Misnomer.

 

[Brian2]

What on earth does it mean to be "wrong?" If the average height of human males is 5'9", is the 7''2 basketball player or the 3'6" dwarf "wrong?" Or just unusual?

When you can choose -- and I mean really choose, for a lifetime -- to change the gender that you find attractive sexually, then you come back to me. Until then, having just emptied my ignore list, you've just earned your way back on. The only one.

People aren't "gay haters" for having religious beliefs that tell them that God does not want people practising homosexual sex.
That has nothing to do with whether a person has a desire for homosexual sex or not.
God does not want us to have adulterous relationships. That does not mean that I hate people who do that.